This week’s theme
Weird plurals

This week’s words
stigma
ala
stratum
gutta
charisma

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(AY-luh)
plural alae (AY-lee)

MEANING:

noun: A wing or a winglike part, such as a bone, a petal of a flower, a small room opening into a larger room, a Roman allied military unit, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin ala (wing). Earliest documented use: 1634. A related word is alar.

USAGE:

“We have two alae, and the ironwork for some war machines that could be assembled if needed.”
Jo Walton; The King’s Name; Tor; 2001.

See more usage examples of ala in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: